Home And Grounds

Some people have no need or use for a kitchen. If they are single they will usually spend all of their time eating out with their friends and working to all hours of the night forgetting that they were supposed to eat anything at all. However, to those select few the kitchen is a place where we create our meal creations for ourselves and our families. Because of this we need to make sure that it has everything we need and this includes atmosphere.

Having the proper lighting in your kitchen is something that is more important than most of us think and is something that many of us forget about. Most people think that having once central light in the kitchen is the way to go – but this is in fact one of the worst things that you could do. It ends up becoming a glare when you don’t need it and can sometimes make it hard for you to see.

You need to layer your lighting and spread it out around the whole of your kitchen. The four layers that you need are task, ambient, accent, and decorative lighting. This will create an environment that you can easily work in – but also be comfortable in.

TASK LIGHTING

“Task lighting is what people think of first when designing a lighting system in the kitchen, because it’s integral to preparing food,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, director of education for the American Lighting Association. “However, if task lighting is misplaced it can actually hinder your ability to work efficiently, throwing shadows on your workspace.”

Some of the best locations for task lighting include underneath the overhead cabinets and over the island — anywhere you’ll be chopping, slicing and reading recipes. The pantry is another place where you’ll want bright, focused lighting.

Under-cabinet lights are some of the best invention and should be taken advantage of. Theycan be a hidden asset in any kitchen, providing task lighting as well as soft ambient lighting to give the room a warm glow with the touch of a dimmer switch. Strip lights are a popular choice, long linear bulbs or a string of lights contained in a single fixture. Another popular option is a puck light system, made up of a series of hockey-puck shaped halogen lights.

AMBIENT LIGHTING

Ambient lighting is an important layer that is often overlooked in the kitchen. This type of lighting does a great job of softening up the lines and shadows on people’s faces. It also brings in a nice, warm, and inviting glow.

The kitchen used to be strictly for food preparation and children who were not to be seen or heard. Now, floor plans are more open and parties often flow from the living room through the dining room and into the kitchen. Ambient lighting will attract people into the kitchen and make them feel welcome. Ambient lighting fixtures may include flush-mounted ceiling fixtures, a pendant hanging over the island and adjustable track lighting.

ACCENT LIGHTING

Accent lighting is actually one of the layers that is not very common among people. However, people will find themselves using them more if they entertain many people. It can be used to light up open glass cabinets that hold some of your precious china or crystal.

Track lighting, up-lighters, directional eyeball lights and wall sconces are all accent fixtures. Whitehead recommends recessed adjustable low voltage fixtures to highlight artwork. The MR16 bulbs often used in these fixtures come in a variety of beam spreads. I the diameter of the art changes, a simple change of bulb will be all that is needed to illuminate the new art.

DECORATIVE LIGHTING

Decorative lighting should be considered in direct proportion to the size of your kitchen — the larger the space, the greater importance chandeliers, hanging pendants and other eye-catching fixtures play. “There are two major considerations when it comes to decorative lighting,” says Whitehead. “You want to make sure that the scale of the fixtures is right for the space, and that the shade material has enough opacity to effectively hide the light bulb.”

Decorative lighting is the most expensive element of your lighting design scheme. If you’re on a tight budget you should install the infrastructure for decorative lighting — the junction box and/or recessed box in the ceiling — then, purchasing the actual fixture down the road.

With all of these layers you will have more of a variety to set the type of mood you want for yourself. If you want to relax you don’t want that single bright light shining down on you and giving you a headache. Instead you will switch on one of the many lights that will cast a soft glow and with some music will give you the relaxation you were looking for.